High pressure water pumps can be used for a variety of purposes. For example in the coal mining industry pumps are employed to provide high pressure water, boosted water pressures, to spray the coal when cutting to keep dust to a minimum and to cool equipment. In subterranean coal mining it is desirable to use pure water rather than environmentally hazardous substances. High pressure pumps are in use for high pressure jet cleaning, for instance in the cleaning of sewers, as well as in certain excavations, in golf course pumping systems, and in the pumping of emulsions.
As pointed out in U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,070 high pressure pumps have had several shortcomings, one being the difficulty in priming such pumps. In addition, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,574 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,818, high pressure pumps which utilize pistons and cylinder arrangements pose friction and lubrication problems. The booster pump herein is not subject to the priming disadvantage or the friction problem.
A submersible hydroturbine booster pump is the described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,584,974. However this pump, as are others such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,050, is adapted for aircraft fuel. Other turbine pumps are the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,482, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,644, U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,525, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,514, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,050. These relate generally to pumps for water and oil wells. Patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,618 provide self priming pumps for unloading tankers and the like. These, then do not possess the elements utilized in the booster pump herein.